


Of Sleepless Nights and Revelations

by Irrevocably_Infatuated



Series: Maybe it's something else entirely [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Feels, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, I'm bad at tagging this crap, M/M, Mild Language, Pre-Relationship, Some Fluff, The rumors are true, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, bc Zen is a potty mouth let's be honest, in chapter 2 tho, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 04:49:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8432464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irrevocably_Infatuated/pseuds/Irrevocably_Infatuated
Summary: It was a chaste kiss. No more than a fleeting touch. It was only meant to keep him quiet. But the feel of Jumin’s impossibly soft lips had been seared into his memory.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel to my first JuminZen fanfic, as promised.  
> (Because I love you all <3)
> 
> Edited for some typos and grammar mistakes. I'm kinda happy with it now, but idk. *shrugs*

Seven days, fourteen hours, and thirty-eight minutes. That was exactly how long it has been since the damn trust fund kid had kissed him – not that Zen was keeping track. Yet there he was, lying on his bed while staring at the ceiling, reliving that fateful moment for the nth time. His face was flushed, crimson eyes darkened and glazed, sweat beading at his forehead and temples.

It was a chaste kiss. No more than a fleeting touch. It was only meant to keep him quiet. But the feel of Jumin’s impossibly soft lips had been seared into his memory. Like a low-grade fever that refused to go away, the memory continued to burn him from the inside out. Making him physically ache with frustration, confusion and even... longing. This had caused him to toss and turn in his bed during the sleepless nights that followed, and tonight was no exception.

Make no mistake, Zen had kissed many people in his life. On stage, he had no qualms claiming the lips of his co-star in a steamy and passionate kiss whenever the scene called for it. So he just couldn’t understand why a certain grey-eyed heir’s half-hearted attempt had such a profound effect on him.

_It wasn’t even a proper kiss, Zen_. He thought to himself. _You’re pining like a 14-year-old school girl over something that didn’t last three seconds! Get a grip, man!_

What bothered Zen wasn’t the fact that Jumin was a man – in fact, he’d willingly admit that he was bisexual to anyone who asked. It was the fact that it _was_ Jumin Han, of all people. The same man whom he had resented for all of three years, thinking he was nothing but a spoiled rich kid who saw money as a means to get whatever he wants. The same man whom he had gotten to know better in the last few months, and discovered that despite having a difficulty expressing his emotions, actually cared a lot more about the people around him than he let on, especially the RFA. The same man who had recently turned into a very close friend and confidante.

Sure, Jumin was a fine male specimen. If he wasn’t the heir to an international conglomerate, he would have had a bright future in the fashion industry with his model-like good looks. Still, Zen had never ever seen Jumin _that_ way. He was his friend. A fellow RFA member.  A former client, even.

But after the “incident” at the restaurant, Zen found himself noticing so many little, almost insignificant, things about Jumin Han. And he hated it.

He hated how long and lush Jumin’s lashes actually are. He hated how his eyes crinkled when he genuinely smiled. Hated how he really liked the fact that those smiles only ever came out when it was just the two of them.

He hated how Jumin unconsciously fiddled with his cuff-links whenever he felt on edge. Hated how he thought it was kinda cute that the ice prince fidgeted in some way.

He hated how Jumin always seemed to smell like a heady mix of sandalwood and vanilla cologne, his own musk, and a hint of whatever red wine he’d been drinking. Hated how he had suddenly found the scent intoxicating, so much so that he nearly took a good whiff of the man before he caught himself.

He hated how sincere Jumin was whenever he spoke. How he never sugar-coated his words and said exactly what he felt. He hated how he found it both rude and endearing at the same time.

Most of all, he hated how oblivious Jumin seemed to be the effect he now had on the other man. How he seemed so unaffected about the entire thing, acting like it never even happened that sometimes Zen wonders if he might have just hallucinated it.

Zen sighed and dragged himself up into a sitting position as he reached for his phone, checking the time. 2:12 AM. _No use_ _trying_ _to_ _sleep_ _now_ , he thought.

He briefly contemplated getting up to smoke outside, but decided against it as it was getting pretty chilly out. He settled on logging into the messenger instead, not entirely sure what he was expecting.

_Maybe Seven or Yoosung's still up? Those clowns ought to take my mind off things._

 

**-ZEN has entered the chatroom-**

_Oh no, here’s here._

**ZEN: Jumin…?**

**Jumin Han: Hello, Hyun.**

**ZEN: I didn’t think anyone would be online at this time of night.**

**Jumin Han: Well, it seems I had forgotten to log off earlier. I was just going over a few documents.**

**ZEN: Tch. “A few” meaning a few stacks. Quit being a workaholic freak and go to bed!**

**Jumin Han: … well, you’re not wrong. But I should be the one telling you that. Why are you even up this late?**

**Jumin Han: Didn’t you say you had rehearsals at 7am? Go to sleep, meow~**

**ZEN: Ugh. That last sentence almost made me itch. XD**

**ZEN: Anyway… I can’t sleep.**

**Jumin Han: Why? Is there something bothering you?**

**ZEN: Well, yeah...**

Zen blushed and berated himself for typing without thinking.

**ZEN: I mean, no! It’s nothing.**

**Jumin Han: Hyun Ryu… you may be an actor but you’re actually a mediocre liar.**

He bit his lip, weary mind trying to come up with an excuse.

**ZEN: I’m fine, okay? I’m just a little stressed out. You know, new role and all.**

**Jumin Han: We both know it’s more than that.**

**Jumin Han: You’ve taken on bigger roles in the past without much fuss.**

**ZEN: Don’t sweat it. I’ll be fine in the morning.**

**Jumin Han: If you didn’t want me to worry, then why did you reject my call just now?**

**ZEN: It’s late, Jumin. Go get some rest.**

**Jumin Han: Not until you tell me what’s wrong.**

**ZEN: …**

**Jumin Han: Does this perhaps…**

**Jumin Han: have something to do with the strange way you’ve been behaving lately?**

**ZEN: Wait, what?**

_He noticed?_

**Jumin Han: Tsk, another rejected call.**

**Jumin Han: That’s it, I’m coming over.**

**ZEN: WAIT, JUMIN**

**-Jumin Han has left the chatroom-**

“Well, shit.” The white-haired actor said to no one in particular. His hands trembling as he continued to stare wide-eyed at his phone’s screen.

_Now what?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff is back with a vengeance in this chapter, folks. 
> 
> Word count may change as I review this and realize where I went wrong.   
>  
> 
> (fun fact: I wrote this while listening to "One Step" by Hyolin ft. Jay Park - ON LOOP.)

“Well, shit.” The white-haired actor said to no one in particular. His hands trembling as he continued to stare wide-eyed at his phone’s screen.

_Now what?_

 

* * *

 

Zen’s mind was still reeling from what had just transpired in the RFA chat.

_He wasn’t serious about coming here, was he?_

As much as Zen wanted to convince himself otherwise, he knew Jumin Han never joked about things like that. Whenever he said he’d do something, you could be damn sure he would.

Cursing under his breath, Zen trudged into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face. Hands resting on the edge of the sink, he leaned in and stared at his reflection.

“Wow. You look like crap.” He mused, taking in his soaked face - noting his flushed cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes.

So deep was Zen in his own thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when the doorbell finally rang.

“Oh, fuck it.” He quickly dabbed his face with a towel on his way out then stood at the doorway, mentally steeling himself.

The doorbell rang again.

“Okay, okay… Sheesh.”

He unlocked the door and held it open as the grey-eyed heir wordlessly made his way into the apartment, only stopping to stand in the middle of the actor’s living room, as if he was waiting expectantly for the other man. Puzzled, Zen locked his door and followed.

Jumin stood with his arms crossed, expression unreadable. He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket, this time. Nor was he wearing a tie. The first two buttons of his dress shirt was undone, exposing his cream-colored skin and perfectly shaped collarbones.

Zen didn’t realize that he was staring until the older man cleared his throat.

“If we’re going to talk, at least put some clothes on.” Jumin suddenly said, purposely avoiding his gaze, red tingeing his cheeks for a brief moment.

It was only then that Zen looked down and noticed his own nakedness, face turning beet red in the process.

He had completely forgotten about the fact that he usually slept in the nude. _Holy shit!_

“S- SORRY!” He all but ran into his bedroom and hastily put on a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a white tank top.

When he emerged, Jumin had already made himself comfortable on the couch, posture more relaxed than usual. He patted the spot beside him when he saw Zen. The actor obliged and they both turned toward each other.

“Now Hyun, tell me what’s been bothering you lately?” His voice sounded tired but maintained a serious tone.

“I already told you, it’s nothing you should concern yourself with…” Zen hesitated, but added. “…you didn’t have to come all the way here.”

“Hyun, I’m your _friend_.” The younger man nearly flinched at those words. “Also, I’ve known you for over three years. I’d like to think I can tell by now when you’re lying through your teeth.”

When the actor remained silent, Jumin raked his fingers through his hair, sighing with frustration.

“This is about the kiss, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?” Zen blinked in disbelief.

“Look, Hyun. I apologize if I offended you... I truly am sorry if it has made you uncomfortable in any way.” He looked genuinely concerned by now. “Like I said, I didn’t mean to-“

“I’m not mad.”

“What?” It was Jumin’s turn to look puzzled now.

“I mean… it’s not like that.” Zen looked down shyly, nearly whispering. “I didn’t dislike it.”

“You didn’t” Jumin repeated “…dislike it?”

“Fine, I’ll admit it! I liked it, okay?” He blurted out, hands fisted on his lap. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop thinking about it because it confuses the hell out of me. It confuses me why I’m feeling this way over some stupid kiss!”

“Hyun Ryu…” The grey-eyed heir called out softly.

“Go on and laugh, I know it’s hilarious.”

“Hyun Ryu. Look at me.”

Zen did and found that the older man was leaning closer, a look of determination on his face.

“Listen to me, Hyun. I’m going to say things that you might not like, but I might not have the courage again to say them so I might as well do it now.”

The actor only nodded and braced himself for the inevitable falling-out between the two of them.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve always believed that showing one’s true feelings would only put yourself at a disadvantage. I honestly thought that emotions only got in the way of things, clouding one’s judgment and in turn, causing someone to make poor business decisions. I was fortunate to have a best friend like Jihyun, who understood me and knew how to handle my stoicism. But then, I met Rika…”

Zen tensed, his chest tightening slightly at that last sentence.

“Rika was a special person to me. She saw through all my pretenses and taught me how to… live a little.” Jumin continued. “She slowly coaxed me into expressing myself more, and she wanted me to be surrounded by people who were good at that – expressing emotions. People who, according to her, would bring more color into my dull and monotonous life.”  He chuckled.

“That’s why she introduced me to you, Hyun Ryu.”

“What?” Zen tilted his head. “Wasn’t it because she wanted you to help me with my career?”

“Well, that’s one part of it. She thought…” Jumin trailed off.

“She thought what?”

“She thought that we’d make a good match. Being complete opposites and all.”

“Ehhh?? What the hell was she thinking?!”

Jumin laughed despite himself. It was deep and melodic and Zen couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

“Three years.” Zen began in between giggles. “For three whole years we were at each other’s throats. What kind of match is that?”

“I know. But Hyun…” Zen stopped laughing then.

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t care.”

“W- What do you mean?”

Jumin was staring at him intensely now for some reason, and the white-haired actor found that he couldn’t look away.

“For all these years I’ve seen you, and only you.”

Zen’s throat was suddenly dry as the older man leaned even closer.

“You’re like a blinding light, you know that? You have this sort of aura around you that dazzles every single time. The way you show your true feelings without a care, the way your face is so easy to read. Your ability to express every single range of human emotion when you act, and even your violent outbursts… It was all so fascinating to me.”

“Sometimes I’d rile you up for no reason, just to see how you’d react.” Zen scoffed at that.

“After awhile though, it grew tiring. I realized that what I wanted was for you to _see_ me too. I don’t know how to describe this feeling; you know I was never good with emotions but…”

_Wait, is he…?_

“But all I know is that I like being near you. I like the fact that we’re not fighting anymore. I like that…” There was a hitch in his voice. “I like that we’ve grown closer.”

Zen shivered. “Jumin you… so that kiss was…”

“A selfish act, on my part.” Jumin smiled ruefully. “I just…  I needed to feel. I needed to know for sure.” He moved to stand up then. “I know I risked driving you away because of that. I completely understand if yo-“

The next thing Jumin Han knew, he was tumbling onto Zen on the leather couch, the latter having pulled on his arm as he swiftly claimed his lips with his own.

Unlike their first kiss, this was much more unrelenting – almost frenzied. As if by mashing their lips together all the unanswered questions in their minds would disappear. Jumin found himself straddling the younger man as he snaked his arms around the actor’s neck, deepening the kiss. Zen answered by holding onto the heir’s waist, his tongue seeking entrance into Jumin’s eager mouth.

They stayed like that for a long time, only parting when the need for air was too great to ignore. Jumin rested his forehead on Zen’s shoulder, his breaths coming in ragged huffs.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes before Zen pushed Jumin back to look at him, admiring his swollen and kiss-bitten lips.

At that moment, he was sure that something between them had changed. And he was excited to discover what it was.

 

“Stay with me tonight, Jumin.”

“As you wish.” He replied, kissing his nose.

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, just before dawn was about to break, Zen awoke in his bed to find Jumin sleeping soundly beside him, face nuzzled into the crook of his neck and arm wrapped protectively around his chest. This made him smile.

_Labeling these feelings… Well, we’d both have plenty of time to figure that out later._

_For now, being with him like this…_ Zen kissed the other man’s forehead as he stirred.

_…is enough._

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be studying. *sigh*
> 
> Your lovely comments and kudos keep me going though, so please let me know what you think! <3
> 
> Tumblr: girl-most-unlikely.tumblr.com
> 
>  
> 
> PS. Should I add another story to this series? I honestly don't know. lol


	3. Omake (Extra)

"Say, Jumin...?" Zen asked in between brushing his teeth, his mouth frothing.

"Yes?" He replied, hands busy knotting his necktie into an impeccable Windsor. 

"Doesn't this mean that we've been unknowingly flirting with each other in the chat this entire time?"

 _Unknowingly?_ Jumin paused, considering it. 

"Well, yes. I suppose you're right." 

Zen smirked and went back to brushing his teeth, humming a song from his latest musical.  

Jumin could only sigh and shake his head. 

 

Somewhere in the distance, a redhead facepalmed in front of his computer screen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am trash.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, i would like to thank everyone who left kudos and such nice comments on "Of Wine Glasses and Realizations". I know I promised a follow up last week, but I got so busy with med school shenanigans. *sigh* 
> 
> This sequel pretty much took on a life of its own even though I only intended it to be a single chapter. I feel Zen on a spiritual level here, as I too have been sleep-deprived (although for entirely different reasons). 
> 
> Anyways, do let me know what you all think! I'll try to update as soon as I can. 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: girl-most-unlikely.tumblr.com


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